Hunger has no defining characteristics, impacting 1 in 8 households across Texas. Food insecurity affects people from all walks of life. Our friends and neighbors can find themselves in need due not only to unemployment and inflation but also traumatic life events.
Food banks and organizations throughout the state work to end hunger, but it takes the collective efforts of everyone to achieve this goal.
Brazos Valley Food Bank is a local organization working to eliminate food insecurity in Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson and Washington counties. BVFB utilizes its affiliations with the Houston Food Bank and Feeding Texas as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Food Assistance Program to source food, but only 15% of their inventory is donated by those organizations and programs.
BVFB partners with local retailers such as H-E-B, Walmart and Costco, and works with Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension Service program to source food through other avenues. With these efforts, along with donations and volunteer help from community members, the food bank can source and distribute enough food to help people in need across the Brazos Valley. In 2022, BVFB acquired more than 6 million pounds of food, providing approximately 5 million meals to residents in need.
“From these statewide organizations to local retailers and residents, we need support from all avenues,” says Ebony Knight, BVFB operations director.
“Especially now, as some of the programs we have been utilizing to source food are starting to die down post-pandemic.”
Community members are encouraged to help in the fight to end hunger by sending monetary donations to BVFB, dropping off goods at local food pantries or volunteering time. To learn how to help, visit bvfb.org.
Programs
The Brazos Valley is a primarily rural area. Its communities face different challenges than those with larger populations and better access to services.
“Rural communities are resilient,” says Theresa Mangapora, BVFB executive director. “These areas tend to lack resources such as hospitals, public transportation and employment opportunities, making everyday life challenging, but the people are also community minded. They know each other and want to help each other. Some of the most impactful food pantries we partner with are those based in our more rural areas.”
The food bank has a wide variety of programs to help those affected by food insecurity across its territory. These programs are divided into two categories: ending hunger today and ending hunger tomorrow.
BVFB works to end hunger today by providing food to those individuals and families in need. It works with 36 partner agencies, medical facilities, schools and senior citizen services on an annual basis to distribute food locally.
Hunger can’t be solved without long-term solutions for those affected. BVFB works to end hunger tomorrow by helping individuals apply for government programs, offering nutrition education and the Together We Grow Program, which helps participants set personal and professional goals.
“One of my roles at the food bank is to analyze the data and identify current needs of our communities,” says Shannon Avila, BVFB programs director. “We structure our programs accordingly in order to help the most people. Currently, inflation is the No. 1 reason why people are food insecure in the Brazos Valley. Because of our research, we are able to discover the most beneficial long-term solutions for individuals in need.”
In the last year, the food bank served over 44,000 people through its programs and outreach. To learn more, visit bvfb.org/our-work-0.
